Royal Mail is looking to hire 33,000 temporary staff members over the Christmas period, which is two thirds more people than they normally look to recruit. The postal service usually employs between 10,000 and 23,000 temporary staff between October and January to deal with the surplus in mail over the festive period. Workers who are hired will be missioned with supporting more than 115,000 permanent postmen and women who do the job all year round.
How to apply for Christmas roles at Royal Mail
Christmas is always the busiest time of the year for Royal Mail.
But, with more people shopping online due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, and families are separated because of social distancing measures, Royal Mail is expecting a huge surge in post.
Royal Mail chief Humans Resources officer Sally Ashford said: “During these unprecedented times we believe it is critical that Royal Mail continues to deliver.
“We want to do our best to deliver Christmas for our customers and support the effort on the pandemic.
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Applicants will need to be comfortable with standing up for extended periods of time as well as holding the ability to meet the fast-paced nature of the role.
Pay will vary depending on where you work and any previous experience.
However, according to a salary estimate conducted on 37 employees on job site Indeed, Christmas workers could be paid up to £10.64 – higher than the national living wage.
Royal Mail has confirmed workers will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay and holiday pay during the role.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the coronavirus and subsequent lockdown sparked the biggest surge in UK unemployment in more than ten years.
The number of workers out of a job rose by 138,000 between June and August – the steepest hike since 2009.
The rate of unemployment rose 0.4 percent from 4.1 percent to 4.5 percent in the previous three months.
Royal Mail has also had its fair share of hardships during the period, announcing it was cutting 2,000 management jobs back in June.
